This is a book suffering from an identity crisis. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: His Life and Relevance for the 21st Century (MLJ) is part-biographical introduction to the great British preacher, part-attempt at analysing some of the controversies of the Doctors' ministry, and part-opportunity to share the authors opinions on contemporary Evangelicalism in the UK and the USA. A book on any one of these topics would be highly welcome but such an amalgamation into a single slim volume fails.

Moreover, MLJ's difficulties are compounded by Catherwood's insistence that he can maintain objectivity when assessing the impact of the life of his Grandfather. For completely understandable and human reasons, he fails to do so.

Within the book you'll read:

• An exhortation to only use Biblical language rather than systems or labels. Which seems to run a cropper, when one discusses the Trinity!

• A discussion of Lloyd-Jones' views on the Holy Spirit that result in him being neither Pentecostal nor Conservative, nor really definable.

• Commenting on the 1960s liberalisation of society, Catherwood says, "In Britain the laws on issues such as divorce and homosexuality were altered in a humanistic direction." Leading one to believe that criminalising homosexuality, was a more godly mark of society!

• There are constant references to 9Marks/John MacArthur/The Gospel Coalition that feel artificially inserted to boost the sales of the book.

• And so forth.

There are encouraging sections in here, such as the details about Lloyd-Jones' involvement with IFES but sadly they are drowned out by the rest. If this had been a personal, family, memoir of the man then it would have been a much more forgivable book. Owing to the authors insistence that he can be objective about his much-loved grandfather, it must be held to a different standard.

There is a great need for a slim biography of the Doctor that draws lessons for today's society and church from his life. This is not that book. ( )